Browse Topic: Charging stations
The deployment of high-power DC charging infrastructure for electric vehicles introduces new challenges in managing noise, particularly in public environments where acoustic comfort and regulatory compliance are essential. Noise emissions from both charging stations and vehicles during charging are a concern for operators of charging parks regarding customer experience and noise immission regulations. AVL employed a structured three-step approach to develop a non-expert tool for assessing the noise radiation of charging stations and vehicles during the charging phase. In a first step, AVL characterized the noise emissions with sound power measurements. Secondly, the measurement results were transferred to the virtual domain. To achieve this, the vehicles and charging station were characterized in the simulation with multiple monopole sources supported by transfer function measurements. This simulation model was validated against the sound power measurement results. After successful correlation of the simulation model, AVL implemented a user-friendly noise mapping tool for predictive planning of charging parks moving from a 3D FEM simulation approach to a simplified noise radiation model according to ISO 9613. Measurements were conducted on a representative high-power DC charging station and two electric vehicles. The vehicle cooling fan was identified as the dominant noise source on the vehicle side, while internal cooling fans of the charging station were the primary contributors to the noise radiated by the charger. Noise emissions were found to increase with higher charging currents, indicating a strong dependency on thermal load. The project established a reusable workflow for acoustic source identification enabling the creation of a scalable database. The noise mapping tool allows easy prediction of noise radiation from multiple charging stations and vehicles during the planning phase of charging parks and supports the design of countermeasures to meet regulatory requirements.
Developing efficient fast-charging infrastructure along highway corridors is critical for reducing range anxiety and promoting long-distance electric travel. However, traditional static location approaches often fail to account for the stochastic interactions between continuous traffic flows and the stochastic variability of remaining driving ranges. To address these methodological gaps, this study develops a demand-driven optimization framework that integrates an improved Genetic Algorithm with the flow-capturing location-allocation model (GA-FCLM). Unlike static facility location approaches, the flow-capturing location-allocation component is specifically selected to maximize the interception of continuous traffic flows under strict range constraints, while the genetic algorithm efficiently navigates the high-dimensional discrete search space of simultaneous siting and sizing decisions. By synthesizing segment-level traffic flows with Monte Carlo simulations of state of charge (SOC) trajectories, the model accurately reconstructs corridor-level charging demand. For the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway, the optimization identifies a robust layout with twenty active stations and 204 fast chargers, requiring a capital investment of 32 million Chinese Yuan (CNY). This configuration achieves a 99% aggregate coverage ratio, effectively eliminating long uncovered segments. Sensitivity analysis reveals that while profit increases linearly with pricing, infrastructure capacity exhibits a nonlinear response to rising electric vehicle (EV) penetration, necessitating strategic spatial rebalancing. The proposed GA-FCLM framework thus provides a scalable and methodologically superior tool for balancing investment costs, coverage continuity, and spatial equity on national highway networks.
Improving the energy efficiency of electrified vehicles remains a central objective in modern electric powertrains. Multi-level converters (MLCs) are widely recognised for lowering conversion losses relative to two-level inverters and improving total harmonic distortion (THD) in the sinusoidal supply to motors with a consequent reduction in motor losses. Despite this, sustained production-oriented validation at the integrated system level remains limited. This work introduces a multi-level converter architecture of the Battery Integrated Modular Multi-Level Converter (BIMMC) topology using Cascaded H-Bridge (CHB) architecture. It offers improvements in all key metrics of performance, cost, package size, mass and robustness compared to the current state-of-the-art two-level inverter system with distributed functions for charging available in the market today. The overall solution is highly functionally integrated. It supports four major functions required in electric vehicles without the need for additional hardware. Firstly, supply to and control of a three-phase electric motor without the need for a separate, standalone inverter. Secondly, all usual battery management system (BMS) functionality including energy and State of Charge (SOC) management to module level enabling usable energy and robustness improvements. Thirdly, the ability to charge from both alternating current (AC) (single phase and three-phase) and direct current (DC) sources without the need for separate on-board charger (OBC) hardware whilst also enabling an innovative pulse charging approach which benefits both charging time and battery ageing compared to conventional DC charging. Finally, the ability to deliver a controlled DC supply to non-traction loads on the vehicle with high efficiency and redundancy. The BIMMC topology proposed has been designed, built at prototype level and tested in order to collect performance data to empirically validate empirical study of the performance and functional benefits of the approach for traction motor drive, battery stored energy management and charging. Measured results demonstrate that improved inverter waveform quality correlates with lower motor harmonic losses and measurable drive-cycle efficiency gains, consistent with prior MLC assessments. Battery SOC depletion can be managed actively within the complete battery yielding increased usable energy and further driving range gains. Pulse charging shortens charge time whilst maintaining battery health metrics within acceptable limits, aligning with experimental evidence on pulse-based fast charging. The topology has also demonstrated the ability to pulse charge cells in a complete battery pack whilst consuming incoming DC supply current from a standard commercially available DC charger (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment - EVSE). This potential to offer the benefits associated with pulse charging without requiring change to existing deployed charging infrastructure. Overall, proposed CHB-BIMMC architecture offers a practical blueprint for next-generation electric vehicles (EVs), and is compatible with ongoing integration trends that converge traction, charging and battery management functions within a unified power electronics and control platform.
India's electric 2-wheeler (E2W) market has witnessed fast growth, driven by lucrative government policies. The two-wheeler segment dominates the Indian automotive market, accounting for the largest share of total sales. Consequently, the manufacturers of 2-wheelers are developing new electric vehicles (EV) tailored for the Indian market. However, the Indian EV market has witnessed multiple fire accidents in recent years, raising safety concerns among consumers and industry stakeholders. These incidents highlight key weakness in battery thermal management systems (BTMS), particularly during charging. Most existing E2W BTMS relies on passive (natural) air cooling, which has been associated with fire incidents due to its inefficiency in heat dissipation, particularly during charging in India's high-temperature environment. Therefore, it is imperative to build thermally viable and economical BTMS for the growing E2W vehicles with fast charging capability. FEV is actively developing the thermally efficient and cost-effective BTMS solutions tailored for Indian E2Ws operating in extreme climatic conditions. The present study evaluates a novel approach of integrating heat carrier plates into the E2W with 3.6 kWh battery pack, which is analyzed under natural and forced air cooling system. The airtight battery pack is located under the floorboard region. The multiple internal heat carrier plates models are developed and integrated with aligned and staggered cell arrangement to evaluate heat dissipation and temperature uniformity with the battery pack. The study further proposes a concept of duct and fan placement for the application during forced air cooling. The simulations are performed at a high ambient temperature of 45 °C, representing a worst-case scenario in India, using charging rates of 0.2 C for natural cooling and 0.35 C for forced cooling. The results show that the aligned cell model with 4-heat carrier plates achieve superior temperature distribution across cells, with a lower average module temperature of 49.6 °C, minimal temperature gradient of 1.3°C and reduced maximum cell temperature of 50 °C, under natural cooling. In forced air-cooling mode, the split air duct model provides better cooling over the battery cover surfaces with maximum temperature of 55 °C with ΔT of 4°C. The study also presents comprehensive details of modelling approaches and outlines the scope of further research for developing thermally efficient BTMS for E2Ws.
From a quick access port to help firefighters fight EV battery fires faster to preventing public charger vandalism, here are some safety developments that haven't made the big headlines. Most of the news surrounding EV technological development in the past year has been around batteries and charging capacity. But engineers have also been busy working on security and safety issues, from charging stations to finding ways for firefighters to better douse fires. We've rounded up a few of the most notable and novel efforts below.
Letter from the Guest Editors
The emergence of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) air vehicles is transforming how people and freight are moved in short distances. This transformation has a profound impact on surrounding infrastructure necessary to provide Aircraft On Ground support for eVTOLs. The hover capabilities of eVTOLs have similar operating characteristics within terminal and uncontrolled airspace. However, the need to conserve battery energy via rapid approaches and departures affects terminal airspace management. To attract eVTOL operators, existing airports, landing zones, and vertiports are modifying their infrastructure to include fixed electric charging stations, additional taxiways, upgraded fire suppression systems, separate hangers, and capable MRO facilities. Augusta Regional Airport (KAGS) is the base airport for the annual Masters Golf Tournament which experiences five times the normal airport traffic and some 40,000 commuting patrons. eVTOLs can offset land traffic issues associated with commuters and supplies. Since KAGS is centroid to 32,000 square miles of territory void of major highways, basing eVTOLs can offer expedited transit services for people and goods which will have a profound impact on the economic viability and quality of life in the area.
As the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) continues to rise, more individuals are encountering these quieter vehicles in their daily lives. While topics such as propulsion sound via Active Sound Design (ASD) and bystander safety through Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS) have been extensively discussed, charging noise remains relatively unexplored. Most EV/PHEV owners charge their vehicles at home, typically overnight, leading to a lack of awareness about charging noise. However, those who have charged their cars overnight often report a variety of sounds emanating from the vehicle and the electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). This paper presents data from several production EVs measured during their normal charging cycles. Binaural recordings made inside and outside the vehicles are analyzed using psychoacoustic metrics to identify sounds that may concern EV/PHEV owners or their neighbors.
The driving capability and charging performance of electric vehicles (EVs) are continuously improving, with high-performance EVs increasing the voltage platform from below 500V to 800V or even 900V. To accommodate existing low-voltage public charging stations, vehicles with high-voltage platforms typically incorporate boost chargers. However, these boost chargers incur additional costs, weight, and spatial requirements. Most mature solutions add a DC-DC boost converter, which results in lower charging power and higher costs. Some new methods leverage the power switching devices and motor inductance within the electric drive motor to form a boost circuit using a three-phase current in-phase control strategy for charging. This approach requires an external inductor to reduce charging current ripple. Another method avoids the use of an external inductor by employing a two-parallel-one-series topology to minimize current ripple; however, this reduces charging power and increases the risk of torque control during charging. This paper presents an innovative integrated boost charging solution that utilizes a three-phase phase-shift control algorithm. This method eliminates the need for additional external inductors. In addition, intelligent voltage regulation strategies, low-loss motor design, and improved cooling schemes are implemented to address thermal risks associated with motor magnets. Compared to traditional approaches, this method offers advantages in terms of minimal cost increase, reduced space occupation, maximum boost charging power, and safest zero torque output.
The added connectivity and transmission of personal and payment information in electric vehicle (EV) charging technology creates larger attack surfaces and incentives for malicious hackers to act. As EV charging stations are a major and direct user interface in the charging infrastructure, ensuring cybersecurity of the personal and private data transmitted to and from chargers is a key component to the overall security. Researchers at Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) evaluated the security of direct current fast charging (DCFC) EV supply equipment (EVSE). Identified vulnerabilities included values such as the MAC addresses of both the EV and EVSE, either sent in plaintext or encrypted with a known algorithm. These values allowed for reprogramming of non-volatile memory of power-line communication (PLC) devices as well as the EV’s parameter information block (PIB). Discovering these values allowed the researchers to access the IPv6 layer on the connection between the EV and EVSE and use traditional ethernet penetration testing methods, including port and vulnerability scanning. Port scanning exposed open SSH and HTTP services, the latter of which was vulnerable and allowed unauthenticated retrieval of proprietary information. The ports should be secured, or closed if unneeded, to prevent this type of vulnerability.
This SAE Recommended Practice summarizes the conformance requirements for digital communication between the PEV and EVSE and establishes the interoperability requirements for successful charging sessions. This first version includes charging conformance summary for both the vehicle and EVSE and updates from CharIN with modifications, additions, and deletions to improve successful charging sessions. The summary of all existing charging/discharging standards, conformance, and functional categories will be updated in subsequent updates, and message/signal/values that would cause an interoperability issue will be clarified as this leads to diagnostic codes the vehicle/EVSE/Charge Point Operator and others can view to let the customer know what specific issue led to a failure to charge or discharge. This additional effort is ongoing and will be expanded in the next version update as this becomes more mature.
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